Ambre and I traveled to Tulum, MX on April 3rd for a little vacation time, sun and sand. The winter and fake spring we have been having in western WA had me feeling like I might develop Scurvy from lack of vitamin D.
We rented a car in Cancun from Easy Way Car Rental (highly recommend them) and drove south to Tulum.
Only in Mexico does the rental car company give you a beer to drink while filling out paperwork!
The rental car was a Hyundai Atos, I had never seen one before and it was pretty small but was perfect for driving in MX. Lets just say the other drivers are aggressive.
We stayed at El Jardin de Frida at the south end of town. It is a mix of hostel style bunk rooms and a few private rooms with a full kitchen and bath. We opted for the private room and it was wonderful.
The balcony of our room is just behind the sign. Their garden in the back is absolutely beautiful and they grow much of the fruit that is put out for breakfast everyday. In true mexican style everything is painted in bright colors with eclectic statues and figures everywhere.
What to do during the heat of the day? Beach beach beach!
Tulum is known for its beautiful beaches and crystal clear water. It did not disappoint! Our first day on the beach we wandered toward the cliffs to see what we could find.
I am sure if you live in a tropical area Iguanas are common, but it was a treat for me.
As we explored along the cliffs a municipal police officer began flagging us down. His english wasn't very good and my spanish sucks, but I managed to understand that we were trespassing on a federal marine base! Oops, day 1 in Mexico and I am already in trouble. He was nice and only took my name down, no more Mexican jails for me :P
After being reprimanded by the police it was time for some shade and cerveza. We found a nice little beach bar with comfy chairs in the sand! All good bars have sand floors!
We ended up frequenting this place a few times over the weeks, the cervezas were cheap and cold and the people watching was top quality.
We nick named this guy 'Yoga Steve' There is probably only 1 log on the whole beach and he decided to do his yoga standing on it wearing a banana hammock. Fortunately it was right in front of us, unfortunately I missed the picture of a girl walking up and sitting on the log he is standing on while he is performing.
We went snorkeling @ Akumal Bay, the reef just off shore from this beach, and in several Cenotes.
The cenotes were incredible. Look Here They are underground rivers with amazing caves and formations. the water is crystal clear and cool. A perfect way to cool off in the heat of the day.
There are adjoining caverns everywhere. I explored as much as I could on a lung full of air, the depth is very hard to judge because of how clear the water is.
Akumal Bay was quite a bit more commercial and touristy than everywhere else we went, but the reef was in good shape and there were fish everywhere. This is an Ambre fish!
A short 40 minute drive took us to the Mayan ruin at Coba. It was a little bit of a hike in the steamy mangrove jungle but well worth the effort. Even though the ruins at Coba aren't as big as Tikal, they are older with many small temples scattered throughout the jungle with 2 grand temples. I hiked up to the top of one
The temples are very tall and steep with big uneven steps, they had a rope / handrail / chicken line running up the middle. I think I was more afraid of other people falling into me than the heights. It has always amazed me that the Mayans were short, but the steps are huge. Probably because they had to cut the rock by hand and carry it up there - bigger rocks equals fewer trips?
The plants and flowers around the ruins are as impressive as the ruins themselves.
We also visited a couple Cenotes in the Coba area. Wow! These were holes in the ground with long steep staircases into a huge cavern with stalactites and stalagmites. Again the water was gin clear and cool, a perfect way to cool off from a jungle hike. The second cenote had a diving platform on the stairs about 6-7 meters high. It was so cool to dive from. One of my favorite parts for sure.
On the drive back to Tulum we stopped at a couple little shops for some pottery and honey. Ambre asked the kid at the honey shop if he ever got stung.
Tulum is a very cool little city, it is not resorty in any way. When we were driving to the beach we picked up several locals that were hitchhiking, they told us that none of the resorts on the beach have electricity, they run on generators and only 3 have AC. It is an old town that is gaining popularity because of the beaches, but it is struggling to keep up. Personally I hope it stays small just like it is now.
If you ever find yourself in Tulum YOU MUST EAT AT POLLO BRONCO in the picture below. Open pit wood grilled chicken. So damn good!
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